How Often Should Your Building Be Washed Down in Brisbane? | TAM-QLD

How Often Should You Wash Down Your Building in Brisbane?

Many Brisbane body corporates and strata managers ask: “How often should we wash down our building?”

The short answer: at least once per year - more frequently if your property is near the river, highway, or coastlne.

At Total Asset Maintenance (TAM-QLD), we’ve seen firsthand how skipping annual washdowns leads to costly issues like paint failure, render damage, and water ingress - all of which could have been prevented through simple routine cleaning.

The Real Cost of Neglect

One of our riverfront clients hadn’t washed their building for seven years, believing rain would keep it clean. Over time, airborne salts and pollutants broke down the paint and render, leading to:

• $25,000 in render repairs

• $25,000 in additional waterproofing remediation

• Voided paint warranties and compromised aesthetic

  
  

Annual washdowns would have cost around $35,000 over the same period, but the damage bill now exceeds $50,000

💡 Preventative façade maintenance saves money and protects warranties.

Why Location Matters

Brisbane’s climate and environment are tough on building exteriors:

• Riverfront and coastal properties fae salt exposure and marine air.

• Highway-side buildings like those on Coronation Drive collect oily residue and soot from traffic.

• CBD towers face pollution, dust, and high UV exposure.

  
  

Regular façade and window cleaning protect against corrosion, staining, and long-term degradation.

Recommended Building Washdown Frequency in Brisbane

Building Type	Recommended Frequency	Reason
Riverfront / Coastal	Every 6–12 months	Salt and moisture accelerate coating failure
Highway / Industrial	Every 12 months	Pollution and exhaust residue
Inner City / Residential	Every 12–18 months	UV and dust accumulation

Window cleaning should be biannual at a minimum for riverfront and highway-exposed properties.

The Fear of Loss: Why It Matters for High-Value Properties

For premium strata buildings, deterioration isn’t just a maintenance issue - it’s a loss of prestige and property value.

When façades fade or glass becomes stained, it sends a message of neglect that can affect resale values and tenant satisfaction.

As property psychologists know, affluent owners are highly loss-averse. Protecting visual appeal protects status, and that drives maintenance decisions as much as cost.

How TAM-QLD Helps

TAM-QLD offers free Asset Maintenance Management Plans for body corporates and property managers.

Each plan includes:

✅ A full site inspection

✅ Location-specific cleaning and coating recommendations

✅ Budget-based scheduling for façade washdowns, waterproofing, and height safety

✅ Product compatibility advice using premium systems from Sika Australia

Our plans are tailored to Brisbane’s environment and backed by rope access expertise to minimise disruption and access costs.

Protect Your Building – Book a Free Asset Plan

Don’t wait for visible damage. Rain isn’t a maintenance plan.

Protect your façade, warranty, and property value with TAM-QLD’s free Asset Maintenance Management Plan.

Visit www.tamqld.com.au to book your inspection and receive a custom schedule for your building.